Posted!

Join the Conversation

Constant connection to cyber bullying

April 16, 2014: With all the social media available, students are finding it tougher to escape cyber bullying. WKYC's WIll Ujek spoke with a local guidance counselor for advice on how to stop the problem. Follow @WillUjek on Twitter for more.
WKYC-TV

CLEVELAND -- Before the dawn of social media, if a kid was bullied at school, they could leave it behind when the final bell rang.

Now, it goes home with them and comes in the form of notifications and alerts sent right to their phone or computer.

Local guidance counselor, Betsy Race says because it's easier to bully, more kids are doing it.

"Now we have to go in and we read people's messages," she says. "We look at people's Facebook accounts. It's a whole different world now."

"People now don't want to walk up to you to your face and say something because there's the potential you could say something back," says Isabella McCaffery, an 8th grader at Incarnate Word Academy.

"They don't have to have guts to go up to the person and just do it to their face," added fellow Incarnate 8th grader Max Fisher.

Most districts have internet bullying protocols and have brought in specialists for lectures.

Race says parents should watch for shifts in behavior like eating or dressing habits and recommends checking kids' accounts.

Students say because social media is so popular and everywhere, there's no escape.

Among the worst sites, according to students, for cyber bulling is ask.fm, which allows people to ask questions anonymously. Many of them said they decided to just delete their accounts after just a few weeks.

Some also point to Instagram as a place for excessive bullying because kids are quick to be critical when it comes to pictures.

Despite all the flaws, students find value in social media for sharing and connecting with friends. Officials say they hope fellow students will begin to stand up for each other and end bullying both online and in person.